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Friday, Jan 16, 2009 01:00 PM +0100
[size=18pt]The real reason Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich[/size]

During Eric Holder's confirmation hearing, Arlen Specter scolded the attorney general-designate, but no one mentioned Israeli pressure.
By Joe Conason

The real reason Bill Clinton pardoned Marc Rich

From beginning to end, the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Eric Holder’s nomination as attorney general observed the ban on candid discussion of the main objection to confirming him. The forbidden topic: the real reason behind the pardon of Marc Rich eight years ago, a controversial action that Holder reviewed as deputy attorney general — and that he failed to oppose for reasons he did not mention.

In an editorial that appeared on the morning of the hearings, the Washington Post urged the Senate to question Holder “closely” on the Rich matter. But it is difficult for senators (and editorial writers) to ask pertinent questions when they are completely ignorant of the real background and motivations of the players in the case. Even now, the true machinations behind the Rich pardon cannot be discussed honestly — perhaps because they implicate the government and the security services of the state of Israel.

Sitting quiet and grave before the committee, Holder listened as Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., one of the leading windbags of our time, held forth on how dreadful Rich is and how awful the pardon was. The fugitive trader, who still lives in Switzerland, had “a reprehensible record,” Specter said — alluding to reports that Rich did business in Iraq and Iran. The Pennsylvania Republican demanded to know how Holder could possibly have recommended a pardon for such an odious figure.

No doubt Holder was advised by the president-elect’s transition team not to argue with Specter or anyone else about Rich. He must have been told not to talk about the foreign-policy issues that heavily influenced his view of the Rich decision. So he offered a meek mea culpa, took his lumps from Specter, and promised that his mistakes had made him a better man. Considering that his objective is to get through the hearings without undue stress, that was probably the wisest course. Telling the truth would only have inflamed the Republicans and the press, while creating unwanted drama for Obama.

Still, it would have been a refreshing change from the usual confirmation minuet if instead of humbly apologizing, Holder had tartly instructed the buffoonish Specter, his fellow senators, the press, and the public about the actual circumstances of the Rich affair. He might have started with the fact that continuous lobbying on Rich’s behalf from the highest Israeli leaders and their American friends — among whom Specter no doubt counts himself — became even more intense in the days before Clinton left office. He could have noted that such pressures coincided with Clinton’s efforts to conclude a peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians. And he could have explained to Specter that Rich’s deals in Iran and Iraq were often related to his other role — as an asset of the Mossad who gathered intelligence and helped to rescue endangered Jews from those regimes.

It is clear that Holder and his colleagues in the Justice Department had ample reason for concern over the proposed pardon, in part because pardoning a fugitive violated precedent. But for the Post to call him “the pardoner” in a front-page headline directing readers to the editorial was grossly unfair. Clinton had sole constitutional discretion to grant the pardon, and he would have done so whether Holder liked it or not.

But Holder understood that there were deeper reasons why the pardon was likely to be approved, which had nothing to do with the political and charitable contributions of Rich’s ex-wife, the Manhattan socialite Denise Rich. The New York Times offered just a hint in a front-page story that appeared shortly after the Holder nomination was announced. Only at the very end did the Times mention the pressure from “the Israelis” that had persuaded Holder not to oppose the pardon — as he told Beth Nolan, then the White House counsel.

Placed in its international context, that remark puts an entirely different coloration on Clinton’s decision and on Holder’s forbearance.

As the president mulled Rich’s application, he was preoccupied with his final and most ambitious efforts to revive the Mideast peace talks that had imploded at Camp David during the summer of 2000. He was talking virtually every day with Ehud Barak, then Israel’s prime minister, trying to persuade the Jewish state’s leader to approve concessions to the Palestinians. That was only weeks before national elections were to take place in Israel, with Barak trailing in polls and heading toward defeat.

Echoing Barak’s pleas on behalf of Rich were Clinton’s old friend Shimon Peres, former Mossad director general Shabtai Shavit, and a host of other important figures in Israel and the American Jewish community. Winning the pardon was a top priority for Israeli officials because Rich had long been a financial and intelligence asset of the Jewish state, carrying out missions in many hostile countries where he did business. Although commentators in the mainstream and right-wing media have discounted this aspect of the controversy, they often seem as unfamiliar with critical facts as the average senator.

Following weeks of preparation by Clinton, the last round of serious peace talks opened in Taba, Egypt, on Jan. 21, 2001, the day after he signed the Rich pardon. Those negotiations eventually failed, yet they came closer to achieving a workable settlement than any before or since.

Meanwhile the fugitive financier, as he is still known, has never returned from his lair in Zug, Switzerland, to the United States. (The mainstream press never mentions that, either.) In other words, he has never used the pardon — perhaps because he would first have to pay up tens of millions of dollars he owes in back taxes, a condition set by Clinton.

Clinton’s decision is subject to harsh criticism in both substance and appearance, even by smart people who know the truth. But the pardon power exists so that presidents will be free to make such hard choices for reasons of state. As a lame duck, Clinton had no other means to induce his Israeli partner to take any risk for peace. All of this has been ignored ever since by the likes of Arlen Specter and the Washington Post — and was obscured once more because Holder didn’t want to start an argument with the Washington establishment, which forgets nothing and, even more reliably, learns nothing.


Joe Conason is the editor in chief of NationalMemo.com.

http://www.salon.com/2009/01/16/holder_4/

Following the brouhaha about the Alams pardon, let's consider this:
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

February 13, 2001, - 1:18 am
Clinton’s Pardons Get Worse

The pardons hit the fan fast and furious in the waning hours of the Clinton presidency.

“You’re not saying these people didn’t commit an offense,” Bill explained about his pardons in the Jan. 22 New York Times. “You’re saying they paid, they paid in full, and they’ve been out long enough after their sentence to show they are good citizens.”

Trouble is, these “good citizens” who “paid in full” keep getting worse:


Everybody knows about Marc Rich, the billionaire fugitive, who never served a day in jail and currently lives “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous” in Switzerland. On the FBI’s most wanted list, he was the largest tax evader in U.S. history and sold out America by selling oil to the Iranians, while they held our hostages captive. Why the pardon? Could it be because ex-wife Denise gave millions in contributions to the Democratic National Committee, Hillary’s Senate campaign, Bill’s Presidential Library and the Clintons’ furniture spree?

Then there was Mel Reynolds — ex-congressman and child molester extraordinaire. Likening a prospective party with an underage Catholic schoolgirl to hitting the Lotto, he now works for Jesse Jackson’s Operation PUSH advising kids. Why did Clinton pardon Reynolds? Because the Rev. Jesse asked him to.

Carlos Vignali — a drug kingpin and one of the largest cocaine dealers in U.S. history — is the latest newsworthy Clinton pardonee. Yesterday’s Los Angeles Times detailed Vignali’s career as “the central player in a cocaine ring that stretched from California to Minnesota,” delivering more than 800 pounds of cocaine. Why did Clinton pardon Vignali, who served only six years of a 15-year sentence for convictions on three counts of federal narcotics violations? Maybe because his father, rich Los Angeles entrepreneur Horacio Vignali, a la Denise Rich, donated over $160,000 to mostly Democrat politicians who wrote to Clinton and then-Attorney General Janet Reno, asking for clemency for Vignali.

And since it’s Black History Month, here’s some black history about the white, Hispanic Vignali. In the game of “Clinton Monopoly,” this kingpin drew a “get out of jail free” card, while his 30 co-defendants — many of them poor blacks — are rotting away in the federal penal system. One of them, Todd Hopson, was described as “an uneducated Black kid with a noticeable stutter” whose mid-level role in a Minneapolis drug ring “was nothing compared to Vignali.” But don’t expect to hear the NAACP and other civil-rights businesses attack their hero Clinton over his racially-profiled pardons. They’re too busy attacking new President Bush.

The only one missing from Clinton’s pardon list is O.J. Simpson. Oh yeah, he wasn’t convicted.

And darn, Clinton just missed the chance at posthumously pardoning Billy the Kid. Descendants of BtK, among the most notorious outlaws and killers in the Old West, are asking New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson to pardon “the Kid.” Sentenced to hang for murdering then-Lincoln County Sheriff William Brady by shooting him in the back 16 times, BtK escaped from jail by murdering two deputies.

Why should BtK, a.k.a. Henry McCarty, a.k.a. William H. Bonney, be pardoned? Well, why not, with the types Bill Clinton has pardoned.

“The Kid’s” great-grandson, Elbert Garcia, and other family “just want to see if Billy could be pardoned,” said New Mexico State Rep. Ben Rios, who is helping BtK’s family in their bid for the pardon. With drug kingpins, child molesters, and billionaire tax-evaders who sold out U.S. hostages to terrorist nations on Clinton’s pardon list, BtK would make it a royal flush. President James Garfield, who occupied the White House at the time of the Kid’s crime and execution in 1881, had the good sense, unlike Clinton, never to grant such an outrageous pardon.

But, at least, in contrast to Clinton’s unconscionable pardons, the Kid’s relatives have the guts to admit their part in their ridiculous effort. The Vignali’s claim they “have no idea who” helped them or why, even though Vignali told his Minneapolis lawyer he got out because “word around prison was that it was the right time to approach the president.” And presidents send word to federal inmates every day, right?

[b]When news of the Rich pardon swirled, Denise Rich, through her spokesman Bobby Zarem, said she “didn’t know about the pardon. She was completely and totally taken by surprise,” he told the Wall Street Journal. “It’s not something she would have wanted.” Really? As it turns out, not only was it something she knew about and wanted, the pardon was the result solely of her aggressive campaign, including the large contributions to the Clintons. Congressman Dan Burton, who is investigating this, is trying to offer Ms. Rich immunity, in exchange for her testimony. Given her big lie from the beginning, how will he know she’s ever telling the truth?
And there are the allegations that Ms. Rich may be Monica, Part Deux. She visited the White House over 100 times last year, mostly while Hillary was out of town. Then, there’s Clinton’s description of her as one of his “closest friends” and statements of some sort of “relationship.” The New York Times wrote of Ms. Rich’s “certain direct charm,” and her friend, talk-show host Geraldo Rivera, speaks of her desire “to be a kind of Pamela Harriman,” the late Democratic Party fund-raiser, who charmed the wealthy Averill Harriman into marrying her and Clinton into naming her ambassador to France.[/b]

But how will we ever know? After all, Bill and Monica both lied and got away with it. And virtually everyone involved with Clinton’s pardons is lying. Take Hillary, please. She denies any role in the Rich pardon.

“I know nothing about that,” she told the New York Post.

“I do not believe that anyone ever approached Sen. Clinton,” Rich’s lead pardon lawyer, Jack Quinn, told House investigators, Thursday. But both Quinn and Hillary were at a fund-raiser at Ms. Rich’s New York penthouse apartment in October, raising money for Hillary. Why was Quinn there, if not for the pardon? What were they discussing — the price of tea in China?

Remember Bill Clinton’s promise, in 1992, that his would be the most ethical presidency in history. He signed executive orders in 1993, preventing former administration staffers from lobbying him. But, in December, he signed a new order revoking the 1993 ones, just in time for former staffer Quinn, a former White House counsel and Gore chief of staff, to lobby for Rich’s pardon.

On the last day of his presidency, after pardons were announced and Bush was inaugurated, Clinton went to a Chappaqua, N.Y., deli for a sandwich. The New York Times reports that Kathleen McAvoy asked her daughter, Siobhan, “Don’t you want to have a president’s signature?”

“He is not a president,” Siobhan replied firmly.

http://www.debbieschlussel.com/54/clintons-pardons-get-worse/

I have decided to open a new thread "Only in Naija"https://www.nairaland.com/1224347/only-naija#14739068 to expand the scope of this thread "The Nigerian Political Class And Their Foreign Counterparts" which has centered mainly on the antics of politicians.

With the thread, we would be also be able to look at other sets of people and events.

Enjoy!

Military Brutality Again

A Daily Searchlight reporter, Andy Odoom, three policemen-L/Cpls Jonathan Fiagbedzi, Bright Amanfo and Mohammed Mansur were victims of the latest round of military brutalities in town.

It was instructive that as the aforementioned persons were being assaulted, bystanders, who could not countenance the ongoing aberration, hooted at the soldiers. Without doubt, the public reaction suggests that the people are opposed to this brutish conduct and would not brook anymore of it.

It took place at a section of the very busy Malam- Kasoa road where[b] a soldier, driving an army vehicle with registration number 73 GA 34, got angry at a reporter who could not pull off for him to overtake him.[/b]

Mr Odoom, the reporter who was at the wheels, had offered the cops a lift but received slaps from the soldiers because of his understandable inability to pull off the road because of the almost bumper-to-bumper traffic situation on the road. When one of the cops queried the soldiers for being unruly, he too was beaten up, paving the way for his colleagues, including a female soldier, to beat up the other policemen.

It was an unprovoked assault session, offering bystanders a spectacle they palpably despised, although the soldiers visibly relished their unruly conduct.

We have composed two editorials on military brutalities since the Independence Day assault on a press photographer by some military policemen and an officer.

Matters bordering on human rights can never be over flogged. It is for this reason that we are re-visiting the issue of military brutalities, with a view to having those responsible for ensuring discipline among uniformed personnel, wake up to their responsibilities.

We are in a 2013 Ghana, peopled by civilised citizens who would not brook 1979 brutalities. We would repeat for the umpteenth time that this nonsense must stop.


We recall a portion of our last editorial on the subject following a so-called apology rendered by government to the victim of the Independence Square military brutality. In that editorial, we expressed misgivings about the government apology explaining that the remorse should have emanated from the military followed by a genuine probe and an appropriate sanction against the defaulters.

Now that another group of soldiers has done the unthinkable of beating up enforcers of the law, which supersedes military law, we think that they have crossed the red line and the need for the military high command to wake up cannot be over-emphasised. Indeed, the situation does not lie within the realm of a PR statement because if we sweep it under the carpet, we would be sending an erroneous message to recruits at the Armed Forces Recruits Training Centre that they can assault civilians including policemen when they so wish and no action would be taken against them. Is this the kind of Ghana we are building in a democratic dispensation?

The gross indiscipline sweeping across the country has doubtlessly not spared the regiments and it is a worrying development which we ignore at the peril of civility in our society. Is there a silent order to soldiers to start beating their civilian compatriots in town?


Source: Daily Guide
Story from Modern Ghana News:
http://www.modernghana.com/news/452051/1/military-brutality-again.html

Published: Wednesday, March 13, 2013

I have decided to open this new thread "Only in Naija" to expand the scope of my other thread "The Nigerian Political Class And Their Foreign Counterparts"https://www.nairaland.com/639186/nigerian-political-class-foreign-counterparts/7#14738231which centered mainly on the antics of politicians.

With this thread, we would be also be able to look at other sets of people and events.

Enjoy!

Op, live updates?

Are you inside the Sistine Chapel?

Chris Huhne and Vicky Pryce both jailed for eight months for perverting course of justice in speeding points scam as couple are reunited for the final act of their tragic family drama


Paul Peachey watched the adulterous former cabinet minister and his vengeful ex-wife hear their fate – side by side

Paul Peachey
Tuesday, 12 March 2013

After months of lies, denials and defiance came the payback. Picking up his suit carrier and his smart black coat from the floor of the dock, a crushed and contrite Chris Huhne headed to one of London’s Victorian prisons for a new uniform of ill-fitting jeans and shoes worn by the prisoners who had served time before him.

In the final chapter of a 10-year saga, Huhne and his former wife, Vicky Pryce, were both jailed for eight months yesterday for swapping penalty speeding points in an offence that the court heard had struck at the heart of the criminal justice system.

Huhne betrayed little emotion as he was sent down by the judge, who told him that he had lied "again and again" to avoid the consequences of a driving ban to further his stellar career.

"You have fallen from a great height," Mr Justice Sweeney told the former Energy and Climate Change Secretary. Huhne was expected to be sent to the overcrowded Wandsworth Prison in south London, but could be out in two months on an electronic tag.

Pryce, who was described as having a "controlling, manipulative and devious side" and whose campaign of revenge led to his unmasking after he revealed an extra-marital affair, was likely to go to HMP Holloway.

In court and in a series of interviews last night, Huhne apologised for his crime – which he committed exactly 10 years ago today – amid the tatters of a career that had seen him standing for the Liberal Democrat leadership and taken him into the Cabinet. He becomes the first former cabinet minister since Jonathan Aitken to be sent to prison.

He pleaded guilty to the offence last month to avoid a "bloodbath" during a bitterly contested court case. While he denied bullying his wife into taking his points, he said that he wished she had been found not guilty for the sake of his family.

"I am sorry. I want to say that to family, to friends, to constituents and to colleagues, and more broadly to everybody who cares passionately about the causes I care about, including saving the planet for our children and our grandchildren," he told The Guardian.

But for a man who drove forward global climate change talks in 2010, the former minister was left with only two things to cling on to after the ruin of his career: the support of his partner and the hope of reconciliation with his children.

His family was torn apart by revelations during his wife's two trials, including claims that he bullied her into having an abortion. It was the only part of her evidence that he contested yesterday at Southwark Crown Court.

David Cameron said last night: "It's a reminder that no one, however high or mighty, is out of the reach of the justice system." Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg described the jailing of his former Cabinet colleague as "a personal tragedy".

Huhne was supported in court by his partner, Carina Trimingham, and his father. He carried his fate heavily. "I would venture to suggest nobody has ever lost more, so publicly, and suffered such vilification for an offence [of point swapping]," said his barrister John Kelsey-Fry, QC.

T[b]he judge, Mr Justice Sweeney, said the couple probably believed that they would get away with the offence, committed at night on the M11 in 2003.

"You did get away with it, for some eight years," he told them. He added that Huhne had been the more culpable of the pair.

"You have fallen from a great height, albeit that is only modest mitigation, given that it is a height that you would never have achieved if you had not hidden your commission of such a serious offence in the first place," he said.[/b]

"To the extent that anything good has come out of this whole process, it is that now, finally, you have both been brought to justice for your joint offence. Any element of tragedy is entirely your own fault."

There was little sign of the swagger and confidence that marked Huhne's political career as he sat looking dazed throughout the hearing. The former couple sat 4ft apart in the dock, an empty seat between them, but barely looked at each other during a hearing that spanned three hours.

At one point Huhne directed a few words at his ex-wife, but Pryce, who wore a black jacket over a silver-grey top, appeared not to respond, instead pouring a drink of water for herself.

The Crown Prosecution Service is seeking to recover legal and police costs from both Huhne and Pryce, amounting to nearly £150,000.

Huhne was facing a demand for the larger part of the costs after seeking to get the case against him thrown out – despite knowing that he was guilty.

The prosecution said that he had displayed "selective amnesia" during police interviews by saying he could not remember the offence. The hearing was postponed to a later date after the court heard that Huhne's legal team was questioning some of the costs.

Ms Pryce was found guilty at a second trial after a jury rejected her defence that she had been bullied into taking the points by her ex-husband.

The story only came to light in May 2011 when her account was printed in The Sunday Times after a sustained campaign by Pryce to ruin her ex-husband's career in revenge for his extra-marital affair with Ms Trimingham. She claimed Huhne prioritised his political ambitions throughout their marriage.

Andrew Edis QC, prosecuting, said the case against Huhne would have relied on circumstantial evidence including phone calls recorded by Pryce and text messages between the former MP and his son.

Mr Kelsey-Fry told the court: "In 2003 Huhne did wrong. It was a serious wrong, a crime considered serious because it strikes at the heart of the criminal justice system."

He said Huhne had maintained a dignified silence during Pryce's trials, but wanted to deny claims Pryce had made about abortions "in the most strenuous terms".

Mr Kelsey-Fry said: "Mr Huhne has suffered the very direst of consequences for this aberrant behaviour 10 years ago."

Four MPs who were sent to jail

Four former Labour MPs – Elliot Morley, David Chaytor, Jim Devine and Eric Illsley - went to prison during 2011 for fiddling their expenses. A fifth, Margaret Moran, was given a supervision order after a psychiatric report said she was unfit to plead.

Jonathan Aitken vowed to wield the ‘simple sword of truth’ against The Guardian for reporting his part in an arms deal - but he was lying, and was convicted of perjury, the last ex-Cabinet minister to go to prison.

Jeffrey Archer, the ex-MP and novelist, won a £500,000 libel award in 1987 after the Daily Star reported that he had been using a prostitute. Years later, it emerged that he had bribed a witness, and he was sentenced to four years.

John Stonehouse, the former Postmaster General, tried to escape his creditors in 1974 by leaving his clothes on a Miami beach as a pretend suicide. He was discovered in Australia, returned to the UK, and sentenced to seven years for fraud.

Horatio Bottomley was a sitting MP in 1922 when he was sentenced to seven years for fraud, over his management of a scheme similar to premium bonds. It is said that he was given work in Wormwood Scrubs making mail sacks. A chaplain asked him: “ Sewing, Bottomley?” and he replied “No, reaping.”

Andy McSmith

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/chris-huhne-and-vicky-pryce-both-jailed-for-eight-months-for-perverting-course-of-justice-in-speeding-points-scam-as-couple-are-reunited-for-the-final-act-of-their-tragic-family-drama-8529546.html#

AjanleKoko: johnie,
this thread can't die like that.

Thanks.

Will resuscitate the thread.

As usual, a great compilation from the great Naptu2!

I would really love to sit with you one of these days.

Obviously you belong to the "old school" not even the "omo jenka" era talk less of the "BB" era.

You are very much appreciated!

naptu2: [size=14pt]MOLUE[/size]

It is not clear what the origin of the term molue is. Some say that Molue is the corruption of “Maul Him”, a description given to the vehicle by the city’s elite who are piqued by the incessant manner the large bodied buses tear clothes and even flesh of passengers while either entering or disembarking as they reach their destinations. Others say No thanks to the recklessness of 'Danfo' buses (smaller commuter buses especially the Volkwagen types) conductors on the converted buses often admonished their drivers to 'Molue' (a corruption of the word remould) the smaller buses when they obstruct the larger ones. From that moment on the term 'Molue' became associated with the big bully nature of the 911 model of commercial vehicles in urban Lagos”.

What I heard from my dad was the 'maul e' version.

naptu2: [size=14pt]MOLUE[/size]
The afro-beat maestro, Fela Anikulapo-Kuti sang about them in his song "Shuffering and Shmiling", singing that in a molue we had "44 sitting, 99 standing". The 1980s group, "Too Cool for Zero" also paid tribute to the king of the road in their song "Molue, Lagos City Transport".

There was no decency inside the Molue. After filling all the seats, the spill over passengers were made to hang on a rail in what was usually called ‘standing’ in the buses. Passengers were so tightly packed that they made nonsense of Fela Anikulapo-Kuti’s mimickery of their plight in the song, Suffering and Smiling.

"44 sitting, 99 standing" though generally talking about the buses in Lagos, I believe was actually styled after the LSTC buses. I was usually thrilled by the electronically operated doors of the LSTC buses. You embark through the front door and alight at the back. Just above the driver it was boldly printed "66 sitting, 44 standing", if my memory serves me well.

naptu2: [size=14pt]MOLUE[/size]
The driver is ever in a hurry. Apart from when it takes off from its major park, Molue never stops. Whether you are dropping off the vehicle or boarding, you have to develop a running feet, as you practically jump off, or rush in, on motion. This act which has become the archilles heels of many hapless commuters have somewhat become the defining mode of recognising who just migrated to Lagos and who is a resident.

You have to know how to "ta bo" (bounce off) from the moving molue else you could end in Gbobi (the orthopaedic hospital)!

naptu2: [size=14pt]MOLUE[/size]
The Molue could be a market too. Itinerant merchants often make a kill inside Molue, hawking all manners of wares from the usual drugs to the cure-all herbs that take care of a thousand ailments. Standing at one corner of the bus, the agent projects his voice by usually cupping his hands round his mouth, clears his/her throat and begins by assisting the passengers to call out the many bus stops along the routes, before leading the passengers into prayers which often he/she uses to hoodwink them before bringing out his or her wares.

I remember traveling once when one of these itinerant traders offered a powered which he claimed would win you the favour of anyone you approached after applying the powder to your face. He then proceeded to apply the powder to his face. Immediately he applied the power to his face, a number of the passengers started offering him money to buy the powder while I developed this strong urge to get him off the bus.

I keep wondering till today if there was something about me that made the powder have a negative effect on me (rather than winning him my favour, I actually disliked him).

I am inclined to believe that these traders have some collaborators among the passengers who "buy" these products. and I am sure they pay the drivers before embarking.

naptu2: [size=14pt]MOLUE[/size]
It could also be a leveler of sorts, a melting pot for the upcoming middle class usually in his razor sharp edged shirts and tie and their female counterpart in their skirt suits, mingling and struggling for space with the pepper retailers, and the mechanics in their grease-blackened aprons.

I remember once when I was going to attend a job interview and boarded a molue. I had on my specially-ironed white shirt and tie. I had the fortune of sitting near a window but the misfortune of having a "gworo-eating" northerner (no ethnicity intended)join me later on the seat. Suddenly as the vehicle traveled along, my "companion" cleared his throat and without warning spat the contents across my face and out through the window.

Livid describes my emotion when I discovered that some of the traveling matter had landed on my shirt sleeve. I showed my "companion" what he had done and you wouldn't believe what happened next.

He proceeded to "clean" the matter off my sleeve using his hand thereby smearing the brown matter over a larger area of the shrrt. I had to snatch my hand away from him.

Did I fight him? No, I was too shocked to believe what had just happened to me.

There was no point arguing or fighting with him. There was no way he could comprehend the enormity of what he had just done to me. After all he had apologised and even made an attempt to right the wrong.

All I could think of was "when would I get my own car so as to avoid such embarrassment?"

Did I get the job? unfortunately, no. I am not sure if the stain on the shirt had anything to do with it though.

Another Tonto Dike thread (in the making)?

size?

Thanks for the quick response.

The plot is not a cornerpiece. Will it take six units as the drawing indicates?

How much and how long?

How many of such units can you fit on a plot of 648sqm?

For how much? And how long?

Still at Lekki.

[size=18pt]And this one from the grand ol' US of A[/size]

If you've ever driven by the DSHS office in North Spokane you probably saw something a bit unusual: A car in a cage. The caged car got Rick Lukens' attention so he tracked down what the story behind that car is in this edition of Lukens @ Large.

http://video.kxly.com/watch.php?id=17130

djeezy: Only in Naija can it happen. It's called tight security. Lol

Why do some Nigerians think so badly of the country that when they see something they consider unusual, their first reaction is "only in Naija?"

Now check this out:

China:

A Chinese man has built a cage for his car to stop thieves kidnapping parts and demanding ransom money.

Mr Zhang, of Jilin city, says his car's computerised engine management system was stolen twice.

"Each time I found a note clipped under the wiper, with phone and bank-account numbers," he said.

Each time, Zhang had to wire 500 yuan (£35) to get the part back.

He has now built a cage to keep his car safe outside his home.

http://spluch..com/2008/02/man-builds-cage-for-car.html


Russia:

http://auto-fail.com/im-guessing-this-isnt-a-great-neighbourhood/


And by the way, how are we sure that picture is from Naija?

.

naptu2: Hm! It's catching on. NYPD cops grinding on young females at the West Indian Day Parade.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&client=mv-google&hl=en-GB&v=e9a5_kiq3R0&nomobile=1

Thanks Naptu2 for balancing things up!

Na for Police College Ikeja?

[size=16pt]Traffic offence: Ekiti lawmaker weeps over N30,000 fine[/size]
December 13, 2012 by Femi Makinde, Ado-Ekiti

The lawmaker representing Moba Constituency II at the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Mrs. Ayoka Fatumbi, broke down in tears as officials of Ekiti State Traffic Management Agency fined her N30,000 for violating traffic laws.

It was gathered that the lawmaker’s car, a Toyota Sienna, was impounded by officials of the agency for packing loaves of bread on the roof of the car and for using the House of Assembly number plate on her private car.

The car with number plate EKHA 03, was said to have been impounded at Ajilosun area around 9.20am on Wednesday.

The car was brought to the premises of the agency.

However, the Chairman of the EKSTMA, Mr. Sola Waya, and the General Manager of the agency, Mr. Charles Fasuba, disagreed on the fine slammed on the lawmaker.

While the chairman was said to have asked the lawmaker to go without paying any fine, Fasuba insisted that the woman must pay the fine.

Fasuba said, “The law is not only for the poor but for both the poor and the rich. The laws were not made for just a section of the society. It doesn’t matter which religion or political party you belong, if you violate the law you will be made to pay for it.

“It is sad for a lawmaker that was a part of the House which passed the law to violate it. Anybody who violates the law will pay the fine.”


However, Fatumbi pleaded that she was not aware that she had to get a permit from the agency before using a vehicle with carrier to transport goods.

The lawmaker said, “The materials in the vehicle are for the empowerment programme in my constituency tomorrow (today).

“ I don’t know we have to get a permit at the agency before we can use the car to carry load since it has a carrier. I don’t know that a vehicle that has carrier cannot be used to carry load in Ekiti State.”

http://www.punchng.com/metro/traffic-offence-ekiti-lawmaker-weeps-over-n30000-fine/

Petitions brought for 21 states - including Georgia - to secede from the union

ATLANTA - In the wake of the reelection of President Obama last week, the White House website has been flooded by a number of petition requests for the peaceful secession of at least 21 states - including Georgia -- from the union.

The petitions use the White House's "We The People" portal website, which allows individuals to craft petitions and collect signatures to obtain a formal response from the government within what the site calls "a timely fashion."

"If a petition meets the signature threshold, it will be reviewed by the Administration and we will issue a response," says the instructions on the website.

Secession petitions have been filed from Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas.

Some of the petitions - notably the one from Texas - points to issues with the federal government, and how spending issues have not been brought under control. It compares that with the situation in Texas, where, it says, the state "maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world."

Petitions that are submitted to the site need at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days to become eligible for receiving a formal response from officials with the Obama Administration. As of Monday afternoon, the petition for the state of Texas has gained more than 25,300 signatures. That total was reached in less than three days.

The petition for the state of Georgia's secession has received about 4,800 signatures in two days.

http://www.11alive.com/news/article/264185/3/Petitions-brought-for-21-states---including-Georgia---to-secede-from-the-union

Rick Perry Won’t Join Petitioners Calling for Texas to Secede, Says Union is Fine As Is

Nearly 70,000 Hancocks have already signed a We the People petition urging the Obama administration to allow Texas to "withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government," but the Lone Star State's governor Rick Perry is not among them.

"Gov. Perry believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it," Catherine Frazier, Perry's press secretary, said in a statement to the Dallas Morning News. "But he also shares the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government."

Just as Perry, who himself once mulled a trial separation from the States, cannot ignore the secession calls of angry Texans, so too must the government now respond. The rules of its homebrewed petition system state that any petition with at least 25,000 signatures requires an official response from the administration.

Meanwhile, as the number of states petitioning the government for independence swells to 21, a new petition is starting to gain traction: One calling for the deportation of everyone who has signed any of the petitions to secede.

http://gawker.com/5960133/rick-perry-wont-join-petitioners-calling-for-texas-to-secede-says-union-is-fine-as-is?popular=true

we petition the obama administration to:

Peacefully grant the State of Texas to withdraw from the United States of America and create its own NEW government.
The US continues to suffer economic difficulties stemming from the federal government's neglect to reform domestic and foreign spending. The citizens of the US suffer from blatant abuses of their rights such as the NDAA, the TSA, etc. Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union, and to do so would protect it's citizens' standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/peacefully-grant-state-texas-withdraw-united-states-america-and-create-its-own-new-government/BmdWCP8B

ghettodreamz: If you know or have ever seen the guy before, then you would know for sure, he's a good and talented singer. I think many people don't know him because he's not one of those noisy singers aka 'alariwos'. Above all, he's a cool-headed guy, if you have had a personal encounter of meeting him before, then you would have known better, that the guy is just so talented and his voice is just so sweet. Anyway, I hope luck would definitely shine on him one day, but for all I know, he's one of the best guys out there in the entertainment industry. Who no know, no fit know. GT Boy You Rock. Hustle osi ma gbomi & pay off big time,gba.

This song of his seems appropriate here:

So many people….
Are asking…so many questions
Just like me..gat nothing to do
Just hoping that one day my dreams will come true
All my life..its always on my mind…
But not too long it seems that have been dreaming once again
Its not that I am lazy..
Its not that am not strong..
Situation in this nation is giving me no choice
Even though..I no fit to give up..
But then I just keep asking myself

CHORUS
When am I gonna be what I wanna be
When am I gonna see what I wanna see
Time is ticking and I can wait no more
Do dreams ever come true in this part of this world….
When am I gonna be what I wanna be
When am I gonna see what I wanna see
Time is ticking and I can wait no more
Do dreams ever come true in this part of this world….
(Am a voice in this world…am a voice..)

VERSE 2
Am a voice in this world..I deserve to be heard..
Am a light in this world…and am gonna shine till d end
Nothing go fit to stop me…
I can stand up when am falling..
Tough times will never last
But tough people do….
With God on my side..and when am heeding to his warnings
I can be what I wanna be when there’s a new day dawning..
But I get weary..am stick of trying
Am tired of living and am afraid of dieing…
I don taya cos to buy garri na waya e
Sebi na when u don chop u go dey think of being a dreamer o

(REPEAT CHORUS)

BRIDGE
So many dreams have died..
Things ain’t working out
Asise titi titi kosere rara
Mekunun kigbe…
(Igbawo la o to jaye oba!!!)
Bope titi titi akololo ape baba mo mo
Ape ko to jeun ele je ba je
Oooooo yeah
Till d day d sun shine on me…..
Till d day Africa go better…

Copied from FreeNaijaLyrics.com: http://www.freenaijalyrics.com/gt-da-guitarman-dreamer/#ixzz2AD1b03E6

stagger: What happened to Danny Gwira?

Dem don break up decades ago!

They were an item in those days when the fitness craze just hit Naija.

She seems to court heart-break controversy.

Note the use of the word "seems."

She used to apear regularly on NTA2 Channel 5, I think.

Rotty32: last 25 years perfomance

Marian Babangida -1st
Marian Abacha -2nd
Patient Jonathan -3rd
Stella Obasanjo -4th

Patient?

But the poor woman said she never admitted at the hospital!

And these are "Maryams" not "Marians"!

@op,

How would I know if I haven't visited the section?

A call to serve (4)
Wednesday, 23 March 2011 00:00 JK Randle


[b]It is of course common knowledge that virtually every Lagos family has moslems and Christians in almost equal proportion. Hence, we celebrate Christmas and Ramadan with gusto and devotion - as a joint endeavour in recognition of what we inherited from our forefathers. At the risk of sounding immodest, it was Oluyomi McGregor who yesterday thanked me for a donation of N10 million to Holy Cross School (a Catholic School), of which he is the Patron; but the Randles are not Catholics !!

We make it a point of duty not to discriminate. Hence, we have donated similar amounts to Ahmaddiya College (Moslem); The Boys' Scout; Federation of Boys and Girls etc.

Also, my aunt Esther (born and baptized as a Christian) appointed me as her executor and mandated me to hand over her property at 14 Alhaji Bashorun Street, Ikoyi to Lagos Central Mosque. I have handed the property over to Alhaji Garba Akinola Ibraheem who responded by offering prayers for the entire Randle family and supplicating Allah to shower his abundant blessings and limitless mercies on us. We are not entitled to ask for more.
[/b]
By way of digression, permit me to add that [b]sixty years ago the Akerele family house at 123 Bamgbose Street, Lagos was right next door to the Da Silva family house and then the McGregor family house. They were all staunch catholics and remain so till today. However, just across the road from them (on the opposite side of Bamgbose Street) was the Salvador mosque. What was amazing was that owing to the bond of genuine love that existed between the Christians and moslems, whenever a new baby was born to the Akereles; the Da Silvas; or the McGregors the Lemomu (Chief Priest) from the Salvador mosque would send a moslem name "suna" across together with a token sum of five shillings as the name of the new baby!! Under such circumstances, there was no way the Catholics would ever complain about being disturbed by the call to prayers by their moslem neighbours. On the contrary, on a number of occasions when there were disputes among the catholic families - within the Akerele family or within the Da Silva family; or the McGregor family or sometimes Akerele versus Da Silva or McGregor (or vice-versa), it was the Lemomu from the mosque across the road who would be invited to come over and settle whatever the quarrel was !![/b]

Also, the Secretary to Archbiship Leo Taylor (Catholic) was a moslem, Alhaji Jubril Martins. Indeed, when he retired his successor was another moslem - Alhaji L.A.B. Agusto !!

As for the Lagos Central Mosque on Nnamdi Azikiwe it was actually built by Italians (G. Cappa) who were catholics. However, the old mosque was designed by a Christian, Engineer Agbebi who sadly died while on an inspection of the mosque. He fell from the roof.


I also have it on good authority that when the Cathedral Church of Christ was built in the 1920's, the moslem community in Lagos raised a substantial sum to assist their Christian brothers who were confronted with the dire prospects of an uncompleted cathedral. The embarrassment would not have been exclusively for Christians. The entire community rose to the occasion and declared:

"Eko oni baje" !! (Lagos must not be disgraced).



Unfortunately, these days the same slogan has been tainted with mockery by our detractors who are snidely prompting us that while non-Lagosians are harvesting the opportunities that abound in Lagos, the indigenes are idling away and living on past glories.


I am emboldened to add that s[b]ixty years ago there was neither rivalry nor malice between Lagosians and non-Lagosians. I am most grateful to Alhaji Umaru Saro for reminding me that about sixty years ago, his mother (a Lagosian) dragged him early one morning to the shop of the late Chief J. A. Ajao who was then the richest non-Lagosian. Being a hardworking man, Ajao was already open for business at the crack of dawn. However, he was taken aback when Alhaji Saro's mother disclosed her request:

"This is my son Umaru. I want you to pray for him so that one day he too will become as successful and prosperous in business as you, Chief Ajao."

Chief Ajao duly obliged and the evidence of the power of prayers is before us.

Today, Alhaji Umaru Saro is one of the most successful businessmen in Lagos. He is a devout moslem but I have lost count of the number of occasions I have seen him at various churches to celebrate birthdays, marriages, etc. or mourn at funerals with his Christians friends. He is most unassuming and demonstrates all the sterling attributes of Lagosians regardless of his Ilorin, Kwara State connection.
[/b]


I believe it is only appropriate that I should add that it was not uncommon for Moslem families to send their sons and daughters to live with Christian families largely in order to be close to certain primary/secondary schools. Also, both Lady Oyinkan Abayomi and Lady Ayo Alakija took in both Christian and Moslem girls as boarders to be groomed to behave as proper ladies!!

Furthermore, it was not uncommon for Moslems to attend Christian secondary schools where they distinguished themselves by their brilliant performance.


A case in point is that of [b]Justice Teslim Elias, a devout moslem who attended Igbobi College (Anglican/Methodist) where he was an outstanding scholar before proceeding to Oxford University to read law. He became the Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of the Federation of Nigeria under General Yakubu Gown and later became the Chief Justice of Nigeria. All the leading Christian schools in Lagos e.g. St Gregory's College; Baptist Academy; CMS Grammar School; St Finbarrs College and Igbobi College have consistently and vehemently denied any discrimination against the admission of moslem students or any overt attempt to convert them to Christianity.

The Alafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi is a Christian who distinguished himself as a boxer while he was a student at St Gregory's College. He remains a great friend of Anthony Cardinal Okogie and often stays with him in Lagos.

I also recall that the goal-keeper of St Gregory's College football team which trounced King's College in 1958 to win the Principal's Cup was Lamidi Albert, who many thought was a moslem going by his name Lamidi (a moslem name).

[/b]In any case, in Lagos Christian versus Moslem has always been a non-issue. Last Friday, the Chief Imam preached a sermon in which he enjoined the congregation to abide by the Koran particularly its emphasis on "ododo" (truth) and "iberu olorun" (fear of God). Last Sunday, Rev Pelu Johnson delivered his own sermon at the Cathedral Church and quoted exactly the same message from the Bible!!

Permit me to mention that about sixty years ago when Dr Ladipo Oluwole, the Chief Medical Officer of Lagos launched a crusade against mosquitoes in order to wipe out malaria, the scourge of the white colonialists, both the native Christian and Moslem community pleaded with the exuberant Dr Oluwole (a foundation student of King's College) to tarry a while otherwise Lagos would become too comfortable for the colonialists who may consequently change their mind about leaving and granting independence to Nigeria!! Being a King's College Old Boy ("KCOB", the eminent doctor got the joke.


I assure you, I am not exaggerating, sixty years ago; you could count the number of "houses with doors in Lagos. The few that had doors kept them wide open in order to let in fresh air. When the doors were locked, it meant that the occupants were out. Guess what? They would leave the keys under the foot mat or in the custody of their next door neighbours, just in case their children came home from school early or unexpected visitors turned up.

I do also recall that whenever my father, Chief JK Randle, my cousin late Adeyinka Majekodunmi and I went to Onikan Stadium to watch football matches, the driver would join us as a spectator. The key of the car would be left in the car with the door wide open just in case anyone wanted to move our car out of the way.

Of course, nobody would dare do that now when car-hijacking and armed robbery have become the order of the day.

As an illustration of the quality of life in Lagos and the transparent honesty of Lagosians, I am tempted to share with you an event that occurred in 1952. Adeyinka and I were shopping for shoes for Christmas. Our cousin Moji kept the money in her wallet while we tried several shops on Broad Street - Bata; Lennards; Kingsway Stores; UTC, etc. and back to Bata. After we had decided on the shoes we wanted, and it was time to pay, it turned out that Moji had lost her wallet containing the money my father had handed over to her. She was in tears. The sales lady amazed us by confidently assuring us that the wallet would be found. All we needed to do was to report the loss to the Central Police Station and St Paul's Church, Breadfruit - both on Broad Street so that whoever found the wallet would be able to contact the owner. In the meantime, she packed the shoes into cardboard boxes and handed them over to us. She did not bother to ask for our address. It was sufficient to let her know that my father's name was Chief JK Randle.

Anyway, true enough the wallet was found by the side of the road and handed over to the policeman on duty at Central Police Station who in turn informed the nearest church - St Paul's Breadfruit. The police did not seize or steal the money. The contents of the wallet were intact when it was returned to the rightful owner.

The real tragedy of Lagos is that we are being seduced by the boastful claim to being a "mega-city" regardless of the evidence before us - squalor, poverty, despair, wickedness, ruthlessness and absolutely no moral authority to distinguish between what is wrong and what is right. It is what you can get away with and even if you are caught you can always bribe your way through. Even if the city is mega, the people have become mini. We may have wide streets but they are no compensation for narrow minds and licentious perfidy.

We should be thankful to "Daily Sun" newspaper for its wake-up call on February 15 2011:

http://businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/columnists/19360-a-call-to-serve-4
http://businessdayonline.com/NG/index.php/analysis/columnists/19696-a-call-to-serve-5

JK Randle hands over building to mosque

January 5, 2012 by Kunle Falayi

Renowned accountant, Jaiye Randle, has handed over a one-storey building located at 14, Bashorun Street, Ikoyi, Lagos, to the leadership of the Lagos Central Mosque.

While handing over the property on Monday, Randle, a Christian, said that he was fulfilling the wish of his late aunt, Esther Adebakin.

Adebakin was said to have been born into a Christian family but later converted to Islam having adopted the new name, Munirat Muhammed.

Randle said she died 20 years ago and bequeathed the property to the Central mosque in her Will.

“My aunt picked me and someone else who is now late as the executor of her Will. The execution of the Will has been delayed because there was a litigation, which had passed through a High court, Appeal court and Supreme Court for the last 20 years. But the Supreme Court later ruled in favour of the Central Mosque to inherit the property,” Randle said.

He said the bequest was a symbol of the peaceful coexistence between Christians and Muslims of the “good old days.”

Randle said, “Christians and Muslims communities were was so close-knit in those days that we considered it a collective shame if any side failed to accomplish a religious feat like building of mosques or churches.

“When an Islamic cleric, Apalara, was murdered in Lagos in 1953, the whole state shook to its very foundation as if the end of the world has come.

Today, if 100 people are massacred in cold blood in Nigeria, people will go about their normal businesses as if it is part of normal life.”

Randle condemned the activities of Boko Haram, describing them as “signs of end time.”

Baba Adini of Lagos, Sheikh Abdul-Hafeez Abou, who received the property on behalf of the Chief Imam of Lagos, Sheikh Garuba Ibrahim, expressed the appreciation of the community.

He assured the deceased family that the property would be properly maintained and put to use.

http://www.punchng.com/metro/jk-randle-hands-over-building-to-mosque/

asha 80: erhhm johniee is this article supposed to counter the original topic?

Just to put the facts on the table and allow for objective discourse.

Tension in Ogun as Muslims, traditionalists clash
On July 29, 2012 · In News
12:45 am
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By Daud Olatunji, Abeokuta

There was palpable tension in Ikenne,Ogun State, yesterday, when the Oro cult imposed a 24-hour restriction of movement in the town in defiance of an order by Ogun State government.

The flagrant defiance occurred few hours after some Islamic leaders in the town were attacked by Oro cultists for reporting them to government over the planned restriction of movement.

Muslims in the area had petitioned the state government and other stakeholders in the state which led to a peace meeting held on Wednesday at the instance of the state governent.

At the end of the meeting, government ordered the Oro cult group in Ikenne to restrict their activities of their on-going annual festival to their own section of the town.

It further ordered the deployment of policemen in the town to enforce the order,but, when Sunday Vanguard visited the town yesterday, neither policemen nor any other security operatives were seen.

The whole town was deserted as doors and windows of houses in the town were firmly shut.
There was also no human and vehicular movement in the town except the adherents of the Oro cult group that were seen in some parts of the town dressed like females.

By tradition,it is forbiden for women to behold the Oro cult members while on procession.

It was gathered that several residents of the town who did not want to be caught up in the no-movement order imposed by the Oro cult group left the town on Friday for neighbouring communities.

In his reaction, the Chairman of Ikenne local government, Mr Tajudeen Salako, said the action of the group should not be seen as a defiance of the state government order.

He however appealed to the people of Ikenne to endure the restriction imposed by the Oro cult in the town.

When asked to comment on the attack on Muslims, Salako said he was aware that Oro cultists threatened Muslims, adding that it had been reported to the police.

The Police Public Relations Officer in Ogun State, Muyiwa Adejobi, however, said that the police were monitoring the situation in the town.

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2012/07/tension-in-ogun-as-muslims-traditionalists-clash/

Ibadan masqueraders protest alleged assault
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KEMI OLAITAN 06/07/2012 08:26:00
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Following the alleged assaults on the most fearful masquerade in Ibadanland, “Oloolu’, the masquerade fraternity yesterday stormed the palace of Olubadan, Oba Samuel Odulana Odugade, to formally lodge complaint. It will be recalled that some interior parts of the ancient city, including Popoyemoja, Idi-Arere and Beere among others were in turmoil on Tuesday and Wednesday as a result of the crisis involving the supporters of the masquerade and some youths in the affected areas.

National Mirror gathered that the masquerade and his supporters were injured in the fracas which was described as unprovoked by the leader of the Oloolu family, Ojetunde Akinleye Asoleke, who led the team to the Olubadan Palace.

Asoleke, who is the Olori Alaagbaa of Ibadanland, said the development was a desecration of the tradition and culture of the city, stat-ing that it was the first time such would happen to the masquerade.

He said the assault was orchestrated by some Muslim youths, decrying the indiscriminate arrest of about 20 of his supporters.

Asoleke noted that the most bizarre of the incident was the removal of the traditional regalia of Oloolu as well as the arrest of the carrier.

He dismissed the claim on some local electronic media that the carrier of Oloolu died during the fracas, adding that the news was mischievous.

Asoleke said the Oloolu carrier was critically injured, but not killed as claimed by the media report.

He said: “We feel sad-dened by the report that our man was killed as this was farther from the truth. No doubt, he was badly wound-ed as you can all see (showing the wounds sustained by the Oloolu on his arm and head), but was not killed.

“The costume seized by the men of Operation Burst has been retrieved and the festival would resume in earnest.”

The Olori Alaagbaa, who appealed to the Olubadan to ensure the release of all the supporters arrested and detained by the police, also urged him to prevail on security agencies not to allow them to be used to cause disaffection among the people.


http://nationalmirroronline.net/news/44485.html